J.J. Abrams Grants a Trekker's Dying Wish

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Lifelong Trek fan given a special screening of Star Trek Into Darkness.

By Max Nicholson

UPDATED, JAN. 5: Daniel Craft, the subject of the story below, passed away Friday from cancer just days after getting his chance to see an early cut of Star Trek Into Darkness. Craft, 41, was also the director of the New York Asian Film Festival. Our condolences to his family and friends.

On Christmas Day, one Reddit user known as ideeeyut posted a message to the Star Trek subreddit asking the community for help. He was reaching out on behalf of his friend Dan, who had been diagnosed with two separate (and unrelated) cancers, and had very little time to live. His dying wish? To see the upcoming sequel Star Trek Into Darkness.

Here's the best part. Over the past week, that post circulated the internet and eventually found its way to director J.J. Abrams, who was kind enough to set up a private screening of an incomplete version of the film. A few days later, the Reddit user returned to post a thank you message from Dan's wife:

"We are of course sworn to secrecy, BUT we are officially allowed to say we saw it and we enjoyed it IMMENSELY as a film and as a gesture," she wrote. "This is a story of us giving something to him, the internet community giving something to him and ultimately being a heartwarming gift to our friends, family and so many others... Also, it was truely amazing that a filmmaker so secretive as JJ Abrams was kind enough to show this to us.

"It was a wonderful thing to see with Daniel and a wonderful thing to see Daniel enjoy -- making someone as ill as he is smile for any length of time really makes a difference. (At this point making me smile is good too.)

"This is also so poignant as JJ Abrams took so much care in the first Star Trek movie to at least TRY to get everything 'right' for the fans and we were so touched when he was concerned that we wouldn't 100 percent enjoy the screening as it's still being worked on... Be assured we enjoyed it 110 percent!

"We are so grateful thank you, thank you, thank you...

Nothing like a truly heartwarming end to a harrowing story. Let us hear your thoughts in the comments below.